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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24201613">Corrupt</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ERose26/pseuds/ERose26'>ERose26</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:01:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,515</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24201613</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ERose26/pseuds/ERose26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the battle with Ultron, Steve decides he's done with SHIELD and takes over Hydra. Tony has to pick up the pieces, trying to fix this. But can he really fix it alone?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>78</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Package</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wow, I keep starting new projects. I need to just focus. Anyway, here's this one. I got this idea from SailorChibi. I know a lot of other people write stuff like this, but here it is. Thanks for reading.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Pepper's heels clacked against the floor as she followed Tony to his office, telling him everything he'd missed in the few hours he'd been gone for an Avengers meeting. He sighed as he stepped into his office and turned back to Pepper. She had just a few more things to say. </p><p>"You have one five hundred and eight new emails. There's a package on your desk. You have another meeting at three." He nodded and closed the door before she could say anything else, sighing heavily. The package on his desk stuck out, the brown packaging sticking out on the red and gold desk. Clint and Sam had decided to paint it for fun. </p><p>Slowly, the man walked over to the desk and looked at the package. Not much mail actually came to him. When it first was sent to him, he had someone that went through it. Then, it was sent to the secretary. Then, he got whatever she deemed was okay. Which led to this. </p><p>The package was normal, a brown box with his name and address on it, but it didn't have anyone else's name on it or where it came from. He was hesitant to open it at first. Could it be a bomb? Maybe it was a robot that would kill him. Maybe he should call the police or SHIELD. Or, maybe, he should just open it up and face whatever consequences came with it. That seemed like the best thing. He didn't mind putting his life on the line at this point, anyway. </p><p>Tony pulled the tape off of the box and opened it up, taking out another box that was inside of it. And inside the box was a phone, a note, and black licorice-Tony and Steve's favorite candy. They'd shared at least that, along with a few other things. It was a miracle their relationship lasted. </p><p>Tony knew the package had come from Steve. Steve-the man who had been done with all the crap SHIELD threw at them and took over Hydra. He was the bad guy now and Tony was expected to find him and fight him. He still loved the super soldier and was terrified for the day that would come when they would meet again, one opposite sides, and have to fight one another. It hurt his heart just to think about it. He could never hurt him. </p><p>Sighing, the billionaire opened the letter and took it out of the envelop, unfolding it to read over it. </p><p>Tony, <br/>They're going to make you fight me, aren't they? Can't see you that this is wrong? I really hope that we'll be together soon. Don't be afraid of me. I just want to help you. These people have hurt you so much. You deserve to be loved and taken care of. The phone I'll use to call you can't be tracked. Take care of yourself until I can. I do this for a good reason. I love you. <br/>-Steve</p><p>Tony blinked back tears that threatened to fall. The night the soldier left had been horrible. He'd given Tony a serum that paralyzed him, so he couldn't stop him. Then, he'd said a few words, kissed him goodbye, and was gone. Tony couldn't move until morning and by then, he was long gone. </p><p>With those thoughts, the phone rang. The engineer looked back at it, holding it in his hand. Should he really pick it up? Maybe Steve would reveal something about his location. It would be best for all of them. He flipped the phone open, pressed the accept button, and put the phone to his hear. He was met with deep breathing and had to close his eyes. It was definitely Steve. </p><p>"Tony." He had to cover his mouth to keep in the sob that caught in his throat. "I'm glad you answered. We need to talk. In person. Alone." </p><p>"Steve, I-" he couldn't do that. SHIELD agents would want to be there. And they wouldn't take no for an answer. He wasn't afraid they'd hurt Steve. He was afraid Steve was gonna hurt them if he let this happen. </p><p>"We need to talk," the other man repeated. "I know you won't let anyone get in trouble, so you'll come alone. I'll text you the details tomorrow night. I love you." Tony closed his eyes tightly, the tears slipping now. He loved him too, but wasn't sure if he should really say it. Thankfully, Steve spoke up again. "I know," he said. "I'll see you soon." The line went dead. Tony set the phone down on his desk and sat down on the opposite couch, his head in his hands. A sob wracked his body. </p><p>He couldn't take this. First, they had the fight with Ultron. Then, Steve left to take over Hydra with his old presumed dead friend. And now, he wants to talk to Tony. He couldn't take this stress. </p><p>Either way, though, he knew he had to go wherever Steve would send him, even if the man turned out not to be there. Because that's the type of person Tony was. He put his heart on his sleeve to anyone that showed him affection. His father had been horrible to him and now he sought out the attention he needed ever since he was a little kid. He had to go see Steve. He hoped it didn't end horribly. Honestly, he was kind of hoping the other man wouldn't show up. </p><p>"Tony?" Pepper called, knocking on the door. "I need the new blueprints by Wednesday morning at the latest. Please, make sure you get them to me." The engineer took a deep breath. </p><p>"Okay," he replied and listened to her retreating footsteps. He lifted his head, glancing around his office, and his eyes landed on a picture of all the Avengers together. It made his stomach twist. Not only had Steve taken over Hydra, but the others slowly joined him, agreeing with him, leaving Tony alone to deal with this mess. He had no idea who he trusted anymore, who were the good people or the bad people. He only stayed because Peter was still here and he needed to make sure the kid was okay. His aunt had died recently and he needed him. He had to stay. </p><p>Tony sighed and leaned back against the couch, looking at the picture of him and Steve. Steve didn't know about Peter. No one did, except for Happy. He was the only one left, other than Pepper. </p><p>This was crazy. Was he really going to go to Steve? He couldn't. Yet he couldn't stop himself from checking his phone every five minutes. </p><p>This wasn't going to end well.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Meeting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Steve gives Tony the details of where they want to meet. Tony's not so sure about it.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is kind of short, but the next one will be out soon. Thank you for the great comments and all the kudos. But here you go. Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Peter, I need to talk to you." The boy looked up at Tony from where he was sitting in his room at the compound. "I'm going somewhere tonight. I don't know when I'll be back. Pepper and Happy will be around. You can try and call me, but I might be unable to answer."</p><p>"Okay," the boy responded, not understanding this situation. Tony walked over and sat beside the boy, unsure of leaving him. He was afraid something would happen and he wouldn't be able to get back. He wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder. Peter was confused, but relaxed against him anyway, hugging him back. Whatever this was, it was important to Tony, so he would hug him back.</p><p>"I love you, kid." That concerned him even more, but he still didn't say more, just hugging him back, content to stay there.</p><p>"I love you too, Dad." Usually, Peter called him Tony and still Mr. Stark, but when it was important, he called him dad. And he could sense that it was very important now. Tony wasn't usually this affectionate. After a moment, he pulled away. </p><p>"I gotta go." He pressed a kiss to the kid's forehead. "I'll see you when I get back." Peter nodded, though he was sure something was up. Maybe he should follow him. Or maybe he should just stay back. He'd get in a lot of trouble if he followed him. He'd stay and track his phone if needed later. In two days he'd call him and decide from that. Hopefully, it would be just fine. Hopefully. </p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>Tony drove a Prius to the park where Steve wanted to meet him. It was outside of the city, near the cemetery, and no one was around. There were no cameras, either, which made Tony anxious to get out of his car. </p><p>The engineer sat in the car for a moment before opening the door and stepping out. He closed the door behind him and walked over to the big oak tree in the middle of the park. And that's where he waited for about five minutes, thinking about how he had gotten himself there. And that's when a pair of footsteps approached him. He looked up to meet Steve's gaze. </p><p>"I wasn't sure if you'd come," the soldier stated. Tony shrugged. </p><p>"Yeah, well, I thought about not coming." He'd seriously considered just staying with Peter, making sure the boy was safe and okay, but he knew he should come and talk to Steve. He was worried about him, anyway, and about all the others. He wanted to make sure they were all okay and alive. He was worried. </p><p>"Well, I'm glad you did come. There's a lot we should talk about and discuss." Before Tony could respond to that, something whistled past his ear and he felt a prick in his neck. Wincing, he pulled a dart out of his neck and looked back at Steve. </p><p>"I thought you were coming alone," he said, even though he was starting to see black dots, leaning heavily against the tree now. Steve stepped up to him, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. He gently caressed the side of his face, looking back at him. And Tony just looked back even as his vision started to fade. </p><p>"This is for the best," Steve told him. "You'll see soon enough." Tony couldn't let this happen. He couldn't leave Peter like this, but he had no choice. His vision faded all the way to black as he heard Steve say one more sentence. "I love you." </p><p>Things were going badly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Visiting Cell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They kidnapped Tony. Now, they have to explain everything. It doesn't mean Tony has to like it.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Tony slowly came to, he felt a little groggy and was taken back to years ago when he used to wake up with a hangover, but he wasn't hungover now. He had been drugged and taken somewhere by Steve. Steve. He loved him, but had no idea what to do about him. They wanted him to join them, but everyone else wanted him to defeat Steve and the others. He didn't know what to do. </p><p>After a moment of contemplation with his eyes closed, he opened his eyes to a stone ceiling. He was on a surprisingly soft bed for the material the room was made of. He sat up and fount that he was in a cell. There was a cell, a bathroom with a door and bars covering a whole wall. </p><p>"You look beautiful." Tony looked up to see Steve standing there, smiling back at him. The engineer wasn't exactly happy to see him. </p><p>"Why did you bring me here?" The soldier looked back at him intently for a moment, seeming to study his whole face, his smile warming a bit as he looked at the man he loved. Tony wasn't sure about all of this. Steve had kind of kidnapped him and taken him hostage probably until he agreed fully with what they were doing and there was no chance of him leaving. </p><p>"I really did miss you," Steve stated. "I'm glad I brought you here. We need to talk about what I'm doing here and why it's important. Why we're not the bad guys here." As he said this, the others showed up. </p><p>"Alright, fine," Tony said, resting his right arm on his knee as he looked back at them. "Since you kidnapped me and brought me here, I might as well hear what you have to say. Or else this would all be for nothing and Pepper's gonna kill me for being gone so long." He looked expectantly back at them, waiting for a response. </p><p>"SHIELD is corrupt," Natasha spoke first. "Ross has been poisoning them for years now. Fury, Maria, and Phil are the only agents left that are still good. The others are poisoning them from within, which in turn, is hurting everyone else. We're here to stop that. We're still fighting SHIELD, but we're on opposite sides now." SHIELD was corrupt. Tony wasn't sure how he felt about that. Did he believe that? He wasn't so sure. What if they were just trying to get them on their side? </p><p>"Come on, Tony," Clint spoke up. "You should believe us. We were part of SHIELD. We were there when all of this was happening. We saw it all spiral downhill. And we were ready to join Steve when he decided to do all of this because it's what's right." Just then, a phone starting ringing. Tony recognized it as his own as Steve pulled it out of his pocket. </p><p>"Peter?" he asked, looking back at the billionaire. </p><p>"Let me answer it," he demanded, standing up by the bars. "Please." Steve answered the phone on speaker, holding it towards Tony. </p><p>"Tony?" The man closed his eyes for a moment. </p><p>"Harley," he responded. "I was supposed to pick you up this morning, wasn't I?" There was a short pause and muffled talking in the background. </p><p>"Yeah, but Happy picked me up. Peter told me you were busy. Anyway, Pepper says you're going to be late on your blueprints if you're not back by tonight. She was pretty sure you would be gone for awhile after you left, though. Peter said it seemed like you were leaving for awhile too."  Tony closed his eyes again, turning his head down. </p><p>"Yeah, I'm kind of busy with something, Harles. Peter knows what the blueprints are for. Why don't you two finish them? It'll be good practice for your projects." </p><p>"Okay, sure. But when are you going to be back? Pepper won't let us finish your blueprints forever." </p><p>"I'm not sure yet." He really didn't know if they were just going to leave him there until he complied or if they wanted to do something else. He hated that they had taken him away from the two boys. He needed to be there for them in case something happened. What if Peter called him in the middle of his patrol and was bleeding to death or something? He could die. </p><p>"Are you gonna be back for the science fair in a few weeks? Peter and Ned are looking forward to it." </p><p>"I know," he said, rubbing his forehead. "I don't know yet." He was supposed to be on the board of judges for the fair. Peter had begged him to do it and he'd finally agreed. He didn't want to let him down now. </p><p>"Okay. Well, Pepper says it's time for lunch and we better get down there. Be safe. Neither of us want to lose another parent."</p><p>"Make sure Peter stays safe too," he spoke up. "Bye, Harley." The phone went dead. </p><p>"We could bring them here," Steve suggested. Tony glared at him harshly. No matter what, he was not going to let Steve drag the two boys into this. </p><p>"Don't you dare." After a few more seconds, he turned and walked back over to the bed, sitting down on it. He sighed, putting his head in his hands. He could sense that the soldier was going to speak to him, so he said something first. "Just leave me alone, Steve." He needed to think about all of this. He needed time to think this over. What if they were wrong? What if something or someone had done something to brainwash them or something? He needed to be alone. </p><p>Thankfully, the others all left him alone. Steve was the last to go. And it hurt a little bit to see him go. He needed to just calm down and think for a little bit. Just for a few minutes, at least. </p><p>And he got plenty of time to think. Natasha brought him some food throughout the day, but didn't say anything, leaving the room silently. And Tony didn't eat anything she brought him. He didn't want it. He wasn't hungry. He wanted to go home and see Peter and Harley and just know that they were okay. </p><p>He was angry at Steve for taking him there. He'd been up for a talk with him alone, and then going back home to the boys, going back to his normal life, but no. Steve had to drug him and take him to a Hydra base. He would never forgive him for that. He was sure of it. He would never forgive him for keeping him from his sons. He would never forgive him for any of this. Not until he could be back with his kids. Not until he would let him leave. </p><p>Not until this was over.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Talking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Steve finally decides to have a private conversation with Tony. It doesn't go too well.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry this one is short, but here you go.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony had been sitting in his cell for a week now. He'd only eaten enough to keep him alive, plus a little, but he wasn't going to act like he should be there. He was a prisoner, whether they wanted to admit it or not. So, he acted like a prisoner. He didn't talk to anyone that tried to talk to him and he kept his eyes attached to the wall, refusing to look at anyone that walked past. Eventually, Steve showed up. </p><p>The super soldier walked into the cell and sat down in the chair that was sitting beside the nightstand that was beside the bed. They were both silent and Tony was sure the man was staring at him, but he was just looking back at the wall, rejecting even the thought to look at him. </p><p>"Tony, come on. You need to stop this. You're going to starve yourself." He didn't even blink. "I care about you. I don't want you to do this to you." The engineer finally looked back at him. </p><p>"You care about me?" he demanded, before scoffing. "Yeah, I guess that's why I'm stuck in a cell right now as a prisoner." </p><p>"You're not our prisoner, Tony. We had to bring you here to explain everything. You wouldn't have listened to just me. You would've just gone home and probably told SHIELD right away. I had to make sure you didn't tell them. It would ruin everything now. They think we're just targeting people right now, not them. I needed to listen." </p><p>"How do you know I wouldn't have?" he practically yelled at him, tears blurring his vision. "I wanted an answer about why you left me! I would've listened!" After his outburst, he just looked down, refusing to look at Steve anyway. He silently cursed himself when a tear landed on his hand. He wiped the rest away quickly, sniffling once, not letting himself show any more emotion than that. He waited as he felt Steve's gaze bare into him. </p><p>"I really wish you'd just be on our side and see, Tony. This is really important. SHIELD is corrupt. We have to get rid of them before they take over the whole world because they will. Just consider it, won't you?" He stood up and walked over to him, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. Tony moved, so it ended up just on his cheek. Steve sighed. "I'll be back later." </p><p>And he was gone. And Tony was alone. Always alone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Trouble</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just as Tony feared, something happened to the kids while he was gone. Will the others let him leave to help?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony had been at the Hydra base for two weeks now. He'd lost a bit of weight from not eating a lot-not enough for it to be concerning, but enough that you could start to see it. Steve tried to get him to eat more, but Tony just refused, barely looking at him and barely speaking to anyone. He wasn't going to live with this. Finally, something came up. </p><p>"Tony," Natasha spoke up, walking into the hallway with the others. "Harley called." He looked up at that as she put the phone on speaker, telling the boy that the engineer could hear him. </p><p>"Tony?" he sounded distraught. Without even thinking, Tony was next to the bars, grabbing the phone from Natasha. </p><p>"Harley, what's wrong?" The kid muffled a sob. "Harles, I need you to calm down. Take a deep breath for me, okay?" Through the phone, they could hear a deep breath in and out and a little sniffling. "Okay, you need to tell me what's wrong now." Another breath, though sharp this time. </p><p>"Peter got hurt on patrol. Someone anonymous texted him a location and a picture of some people who were hurt, so he went, but I didn't let him go alone. We got all the people out, but the person was waiting for us. He shot Peter after shooting him with something in a dart. I think his powers aren't working. He'd gonna die, isn't he?"  Tony looked back at Steve. The man sighed. </p><p>"Fine," he said. "But we're going with you." </p><p>"Harley, press the extra button on your watch. It'll send a location to my suit." Tony pressed a button his own watch, which called his own suit to him. The others wondered at that moment why he hadn't done it yet. Maybe he did still care about them. Maybe there was still time to get to him. </p><p>The next few minutes went by agonizingly slow as Tony's suit showed up and he left, the others following behind in a jet. And then, everything was racing by and everything else was a blur. </p><p>Tony landed near the building the boys were in and ran inside, finding them in the open area. He was instantly at their side, his suit falling away from him, so he could better assess the boy's injuries. Harley sat silently and watched as Tony looked over the welt on Peter's neck that was forming where the dart had hit him and the blood that was starting to pool from his side, along with assessing his arm that was definitely broken, maybe shattered. </p><p>"Harley, I need your jacket," he told the boy, who quickly took his jacket off, handing it to the man. He pressed it to the younger boy's abdomen as he checked his pulse. It was better than he was hoping for, which was good. "Peter," he called, squeezing the boy's hand. "Peter, can you hear me?" A quiet groan and the boy cracked his eyes open. </p><p>"Dad?" he asked, groggily. The man smiled back at him, hoping to reassure him a bit after he winced from the pain in his side. "What's going on?" </p><p>"You got shot, remember? We're gonna head back to the tower." His eyes moved behind the other two. </p><p>"What are they doing here?" Tony sighed, hoping they had stayed in the jet. It was going  to be a very difficult story to tell before Peter probably even talked to any of them. Or stopped glaring at them for taking his father. </p><p>"It's a long story. I'll explain later. We need to get you back." </p><p>"M'tired." </p><p>"I'm sure, but you can't go to sleep yet. Harley's gonna keep talking to you to keep you awake." The boy immediately took over to talk to him. Tony pressed another button on his watch and a hologram popped up, something else the others were confused they hadn't seen when he was stuck in that cell. Dr. Cho popped up after a moment. </p><p>"Peter's been shot, no powers," he told her. "ETA probably five minutes." She nodded. </p><p>"I'll get the med bay ready." The hologram disappeared. </p><p>"Let's get into the jet," Steve said. Tony shook his head, looking down at Peter. He needed to be there as soon as possible. The jet would take twice as long. </p><p>"No. He'll fly there." Harley looked up at him like he was crazy. "Peter, I'm gonna put you in my suit and you're going to fly back to the compound, alright? Dr. Cho will be waiting for you and she'll be there right away to help you." The boy grasped his hand. </p><p>"I'm scared," he whispered. </p><p>"You don't need to be. We're gonna be talking to you the whole time. We can even use a hologram, so you can see us. We'll be there only about five minutes after you, okay?" He nodded. "Harley." Together, the two of them helped get the suit on around Peter. Before putting the helmet on, Tony pressed a kiss to his forehead. "It's going to be okay." He nodded and then they slipped the helmet on. "Friday, take the suit back to the compound. Into the med bay." There was an affirmative and then the suit took off. Tony turned on a hologram and Peter's face showed up in the dark. </p><p>"You're on your way?" he asked weakly. Harley nodded. </p><p>"Yeah. We're coming." He and Tony stood up together and walked outside with the others, getting into the jet. They sat down on the ground away from everyone, talking to Peter until he got back to the tower. Then, they let Cho take over and turned the hologram off. And that's when Harley broke down, having lost all adrenaline keeping him going. His father was beside him, his brother was at the hospital. He was going to be okay. So, he cried. </p><p>Tony pulled his son into his arms, holding him close as he sobbed. It hurt him that he was in so much pain over this, but he knew it had been troubling. He'd been there when Peter had gotten shot. There would probably be many nightmares in the following nights and even days to come. For both of the boys. </p><p>The jet landed and Harley and Tony were the first ones out, hurrying quickly inside and upstairs to the med bay. They didn't go in, though, waiting outside as Cho worked with a few other doctors. Pepper showed up later, eyeing the former Avengers before she stepped up next to Tony, looking into the hospital room. She glanced back at the father and son to see the tears on Harley's cheeks and the worried look deeply etched into Tony's face. That's when she noticed why he looked so different. </p><p>"Where have you been?" she asked. "You've lost more weight than you should if you were just on vacation or going to stay somewhere." Harley looked back then, realizing she was right. Tony sighed. </p><p>"We can talk about it later. Besides, that was mostly my fault for being stubborn. You know how I get." She rolled her eyes, looking back at the hospital. "He should be fine," he told her. "When he has his powers back, he'll be healed in a few hours." The woman looked back at him, a question in her gaze. "Whoever it was gave him something to block his powers." </p><p>"Really?" she asked. "That's not good. A scientist found that out. He could sell it to others." He took a deep breath, giving her a look. </p><p>"Yeah. You're not making me feel better about this. Cho took some blood and will run some tests. We'll figure out what it is and then we'll program Karen to find it immediately. It won't happen again." He couldn't afford to let it happen again. </p><p>"Tony?" a nurse asked, opening the door out to them. "He wants you." The engineer looked back at Harley. </p><p>"He needs you. Go. I'll be fine." He pressed a kiss to the boy's temple before following the nurse inside and over to Peter, standing near the boy's head. Peter opened his eyes to look up at his father. </p><p>"Hey," the man greeted, brushing his thumb along the boy's cheekbone. "Hey. I'm right here. I'm here. You're gonna be alright." The enhanced teenager locked eyes with him. Tony knew he was going to ask a hard question then. Whatever it was, he wasn't sure he'd be able to answer. </p><p>"Did they try and starve you when they took you?" The older man sighed. Peter had been afraid for him this whole time. This kid was the epitome of pure. </p><p>"No, Peter. I was stubborn. I wanted to come back. I hoped they'd let me back if I didn't eat very much. It was stupid, I know. And it didn't work anyway, but I'm here now. With you. I'll tell you all about it later, but we're okay now." The boy nodded. They were going to be okay. </p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>Soon, the doctors all left and Harley came in, standing beside the bed. He took his brother's hand, squeezing it gently. Peter looked over and smiled sleepily at him. Harley smiled back. </p><p>"Go to sleep, Peter," he told him. "We'll be here when you wake up." The younger boy looked back at Tony. The man smiled reassuringly and ran a gentle hand through his hair, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. </p><p>"He's right. We'll be here. Go to bed." He sighed and closed his eyes, asleep almost within minutes. Harley walked around the bed to stand beside his father. He hugged him around the waist, burying his face in the older man's shoulder, who turned back to him, wrapping his arms around the kid's shoulders. He pressed a kiss to the top of his head. </p><p>Tony wasn't sure what was going to happen now. Were they going to take him back? Would they leave him there? Would they leave at all? He had no idea. But for now, he was going to hold Harley close and be happy that he could do that. They would figure everything out later. Together.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Nightmares</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Of course, there would be nightmares from the experience they had. And, of course, Tony would be there to help them.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is mostly just a filler chapter. I probably could've written more, but I'm busy, so I just wrote this quickly. Anyway, here you go. I'm gonna try and write more about the Rogues in the next couple of chapters.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony sighed as he sat back, looking at the machine he was working on. Peter had just gotten out of the med bay a few hours earlier and was fast asleep up on his room, along with Harley, so there was no reason he should be worried, yet he was. That's why he was working so late in his lab. He was trying to keep his mind off of the boys, while also trying to think over what happened with Steve and the others. </p><p>Was SHIELD really corrupt? </p><p>"Sir," Friday spoke up. "Harley is in distress. It appears he's having a nightmare." Without a second thought, Tony had stood up and was making his way quickly to the elevator, which took him up to his floor. He walked to Harley's room and opened the door, walking in just as the boy sat straight up, chest heaving for a breath of air. </p><p>"Harles," he murmured, moving to sit next to him. He rubbed his back soothingly, murmuring gentle reassurances and pressing kisses to the boy's head to help him calm down. It took a little while, but he finally stopped crying and his breathing evened out. </p><p>"Do you wanna talk about it?" Tony asked, causing Harley to let out a quiet breath, curling more into his father's chest. </p><p>"Peter didn't make it," he said quietly. And just as the engineer had thought, the boy was having nightmares about his brother getting shot. He'd thought Peter would have been the first one to have nightmares, but it was Harley. </p><p>"Okay," he said gently, resting his chin on the top of the boy's head. "Do you think you can go back to sleep?" He shook his head. "Okay. Well, why don't we go downstairs and turn on a movie or something?" The boy sniffed and nodded, moving to wipe at his eyes before they got up and walked down to the living room. </p><p>Tony was surprised to find Steve, Natasha, and Bucky still awake, talking quietly in the living room. He decidedly ignored them in favor of focusing on Harley. They walked over to the couch and sat down away from the other three. </p><p>"Any preferences?" Tony asked the younger man. He received a shake of the head in return. "Alright. Fri, turn on the first Star Wars movie, please." </p><p>"You'd watch it without me?" a voice asked. Peter walked over and sat down next them. His eyes were a little red and he'd obviously been crying from a nightmare. Tony wrapped his free arm around his other son. </p><p>"No. I had a feeling you'd be joining us." </p><p>"Really?" he asked. Tony had known he was going to have a nightmare? How pathetic was that? Knowing that the boy had issues of self-deprivation, Tony looked back at him for a minute, hoping that he'd get his point across. </p><p>"It was a traumatic experience, Peter. Nightmares are expected. It's not wrong to have them. It's perfectly normal, alright? There's nothing wrong with you." The young man nodded, looking away. He felt embarrassed that Tony knew that he was thinking what he was thinking. "Peter." He slowly met the older man's eyes. "How about we talk about this tomorrow, hmm? Tonight, we can just watch Star Wars, alright?" He nodded and curled into his father's side, getting comfortable beside him. </p><p>For a few hours, they would just forget everything and be together. It would all work out in the end, Tony was sure, but it was nice to take a break in the middle of everything. </p><p>He would just relax for now. He had his boys with him. Everything was going to be just fine in the end.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Discussing a Few Things</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Talking about nightmares, movies, and threats. A very eventful Sunday.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, Tony woke up on the couch in the living room with Harley and Peter on either side of him. There was a blanket laying over them that hadn't been on them when they'd fallen asleep the night before. Tony knew Steve had put it on them. He wasn't sure if he should be letting them stay there or not. Steve had kidnapped him and taken him to Hydra, but he'd never hurt him and had even tried to take well enough care of him when he'd taken him. Maybe he was really telling the truth and SHIELD was really the one that was corrupt. He would still need to look into that more. </p><p>"Mr. Stark?" Peter asked quietly, causing the man to look back at him. He looked away as soon as the older man's eyes met his. "My dream last night wasn't about getting shot," he whispered, causing Tony to sit up a little more, turning towards him. Peter played with his fingers, not looking at his mentor. "It was about May." He finally looked back at him, tears in his eyes. "I could've saved her." </p><p>"Peter," he breathed out, not realizing the boy had been in so much turmoil this long. He took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "You wouldn't have been able to save her. I watched the footage. It was too late." He cupped the younger's face with his free hand. "She wouldn't want you to blame yourself for this, okay?" He nodded a little. "Good. We're gonna talk more about this later. Maybe talk to Dr. Cho too. For now, why don't we get some breakfast? Then, we can finish the Star Wars movies. How does that sound?" He knew Peter needed a little more time to try and relax before they delved into this. The boy nodded in response. "Alright. Let's wake Harley up and go." </p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>Breakfast had already been made by the time they got Harley up and went into the kitchen. Tony suspected Steve had made it. Peter and Harley apparently didn't even think about it because they just started eating. The engineer didn't worry too much. Friday would've told him if there was poison in it or anything. And he still didn't think Steve would do that. </p><p>Tony sat down with the two boys at the counter and ate as they talked a little bit with each other, mostly ignoring everyone else who sat in the kitchen. Tony just wanted to spend the rest of the weekend with the boys. After that, he could deal with everything else. But at that moment, he would only focus on the two boys that sat beside him. His sons. </p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>After breakfast, Tony, Harley, and Peter went back into the living room and started back onto the last movie that they remembered before they'd fallen asleep. </p><p>As they watched the movies, the others mostly left them alone, though every now and then someone would step in and watch whatever part of the movie they were on before leaving again. It bothered Tony a little bit, but he didn't say anything, just watching the people come and go. He was just going to relax for the weekend. Well, for that Sunday. But he would relax the whole day. </p><p>When lunch rolled around, they made sandwiches, got some chips from the cabinets, and went back in to finish their marathon. They were all very happy to be with each other and were all in good moods. That is, until Fury called. </p><p>"Fury?" Harley asked, clearly confused as to why the man would be calling him. Steve had walked in then and looked at Tony. Fury was calling for him. </p><p>"Yeah," Tony replied. "It's probably not important, but I should take it anyway. You know Fury." They both nodded in agreement to that. The director was kind of crazy sometimes. Tony stood up and walked into the other room, answering the phone. He didn't even have to answer before the other man started talking. </p><p>"I gave Rogers a chance to convince you. Obviously, he hasn't or you would've called me by now or at least hacked into the system. He's telling you the truth. We need to get rid of SHIELD and build it back up. And we'll need your help. I'm giving you a week to think about it and decide which side you're on. I suggest you pick the right side. You wouldn't want your boys caught up in this." The phone went dead. </p><p>Tony glanced back into the living room to where Harley and Peter were sitting, laughing together about something that one of them had said. </p><p>It was unfair of Fury to threaten to hurt them. It also made it seem like he was on the opposite side. Tony forced himself to see it through a different perspective. If SHIELD really was corrupt and needed to be taken down, then Fury would do anything to get him on their side. Unfortunately, he could understand why Fury would threaten him, but it still made him uneasy. </p><p>He had a week. He would figure it out later. For now, he was going to spend time with Harley and Peter. </p><p>He just hoped this would all end well.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Announcement</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Announcement</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I am doing a sort of cleanse. And I need to work on my actual book more. For a month, I will not do anything related to fanfiction stuff. It'll probably help with school starting soon too. Sorry this wasn't an actual update. So, I'll see you in September.</p>
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